In response to an ‘orange alert’ issued by the India Meteorological Department for Hyderabad and its surrounding districts, the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) took proactive measures on Saturday, opening the gates of the Osmansagar and Himayatsagar reservoirs.
K. Ashok Reddy, the Managing Director, personally oversaw the reservoir levels and coordinated with Revenue and Municipal departments. This collaboration aims to ensure prompt flood assessment and to keep the public informed through timely advisories.
Specifically, at Osmansagar, four gates were lifted by two feet, allowing for a discharge of 920 cusecs of water, countering an inflow of 100 cusecs from upstream areas. Meanwhile, Himayatsagar, already nearing its capacity, had one gate opened to release approximately 1000 cusecs, despite a recorded inflow of 400 cusecs.
Given the persistent weather alert and ongoing forecast for heavy rains, the HMWS&SB announced plans to incrementally increase the flood discharge from both reservoirs. Himayatsagar is slated to release up to 2000 cusecs, and Osmansagar up to 3000 cusecs, aiming for a combined outflow of 5000 cusecs in a phased approach.
By 7 p.m. on Saturday, the combined discharge had already reached around 4,600 cusecs, with two gates open at Osmansagar and six at Himayatsagar. Osmansagar was just 20 cm shy of its full tank level, while Himayatsagar was 17 cm from its maximum capacity, highlighting the urgency of these actions.